At the D.A's office while reviewing a collection of briefs that for some reason are creating a severe bottleneck in the supposed, smooth bureaucratic flow, Irene discovers that someone is attempting to loose hoards of criminals back on the streets. Choosing to ignore her own reservations, she works nonstop to correct the multitude of problems.
The attack from Santa Monica's newly elected District Attorney is without warning, undisguised and cruel. But Thomas's attack introduces Irene to a past she has never known, a past of unbelievable powers and evil manifestations even more brutal than himself. Plunged into madness from Barkley's invasion into her soul, Irene chooses to meet him at his office, emptying a pistol at point blank range into the back of his chair. But Thomas has had other plans for her, and Irene's fragile grasp on reality is shattered when she discovers who she has actually murdered. The discovery sends her reeling into the protective depths of her own mind, a paralysis which leaves her comatose, her finger curled around the trigger of a damning piece of evidence.
Despite the shadow of suspicion blanketing her, relatives stand united in support. But there are other reasons the family rushes to Irene's side, desperate motives resulting in ultimate acts of courage in an attempt to save Irene from the clutches of annihilation.
Concocting a daring rescue attempt, the family is plunged into danger as Barkley personally chooses to deliver a deadly blow. The savage attack sends Irene and the remnants of the family into hiding, where in a ceremony resembling the rituals of her ancestors, Irene discovers that the one who can destroy Barkley has been with them all along. Knowing what will happen when she and Barkley meet, what he will attempt to take from her, Irene struggles against the decision she must make. Outside the ancient town of Callinish, the beast reveals himself once more, and tells of his plan to use her sister to produce an heir to his reign of terror. Irene chooses to fight back the only way she knows, using the power of the Gifter's Ring, and her sister's love for her only child, to destroy Barkley and his special brand of evil.
